Now I remember

The frigid air wicked away Riona's body heat faster than it was replaced and her breaths rose in puffs. She wrapped her arms around her body in a tight hug, fighting off the cold air. Noticing this, Lorenzo took his sweatshirt off and put it around her shoulders without saying much. An awkward smile plastered itself on his face after Riona muttered a thank you. In less than five minutes, they reached Laura's home. He had been wincing with every step he took but hid it well from her.

"You can take a seat on that couch. I'll be right back with a first aid kit."

Lorenzo looked around the humble home and appreciated the way it was professionally decorated. From the hardwood floors to the open floor kitchen. He rubbed his hands together while waiting for Riona to get back from where she went. Lorenzo contemplated on calling his confidant to tell him about what went down with Nina, but chose not to. Not when he was at Riona's place.

She got back to him seconds later with a kit and opened it as she knelt down in front of where he sat, squirted some hand sanitizer and wore surgical gloves.

"You a doctor or something?" His squinted eyes flickered with curiosity as he observed the way she carried herself.

"Or something." She smirked and stole a glance at him. Riona noticed how alluring he was. From his caramel skin tone, to the five o'clock shadow that surrounded his full, pink lips.

"You're not... homeless, right?" She felt her cheeks warm up.

"No. Thanks for the candy though." He raised an eyebrow and chucked making her feel more embarrassed.

Riona got right to work and took off both his socks from his feet. His right foot wasn't wounded, just the left one which had a deep long slice mark at the sole. Lorenzo winced when she brushed a cotton swab along the wound.

"What happened?"

He ran his hand through his curly mane.

"...Must have stepped on something—" He placed the palms of his hands on his forehead and groaned at the stinging pain he felt when his wound came in contact with the spirit soaked swab.

"Hmm...well, I can't do much here. You should go for an X-Ray just to make sure there's nothing lodged inside the cut." She finished disinfecting Lorenzo's wound and wrapped a bandage around his foot.

"Stay here. Don't go just yet." She instructed him.

Ain't going nowhere with a burning foot. He thought to himself.

Lorenzo's gaze averted to the marble surround fireplace decorated with figurines and family photos and noticed that Riona was only in one of the photos, outside a cottage. The mirror that hung over the fireplace reflected his stormy brown eyes as his mind thought back to Nina's deception. The flames curled and swayed, flicking left and right, forward and backward. Although the air was not smoky, he could smell the pine as it burnt. The faint fragrance reassured his senses that there will be comfort in the storm he was currently in.

"Hey." Riona called him, holding to mugs of hot chocolate in hand.

"Lorenzo?�� She called him again. He was in too deep in his thoughts to hear her. Setting one mug on the mantle, she gently placed her hand on his shoulder and shook it.

"The fu—!" He got yanked out of his stupor and his face softened at the sight of hot chocolate.

"Mind telling a stranger what's bothering you? You look distraught." She observed as she sat on the accent chair beside him. He took a sip of his chocolate drink and contemplate on whether he should open up to her or not.

"What if she's crazy or something...or some kinda witch! ... Damn, I watch too many fantasy movies. She seems harmless. She's foreign, not like the bitches in this city. She's done only good things so far. Doesn't really know me plus, I might never see her again. So, I might as well..."

While patiently waiting on an answer, Lorenzo spoke up.

"Uhh..." He licked his lips. "I just found out that my son isn't my son. Feel me?" He glanced and saw her nod.

"She just confessed to me earlier and it's like, my world came tumbling down. For two damn years, Evan's been my little boy. I loved him, cared for him, provided for him and all that and bought them a damn house so they won't struggle and shit and she ends up betraying me like that, and I'm thinking, she must've planned this whole thing with her cousin who works in some hospital cause that's where I took the paternity tests and shit." He exhaled and felt like a weight had been lifted off his chest.

Riona noticed his accent change as he continued pouring his heart out and figured that he wasn't originally from New York. Carefully putting her mug down on the mantle, she cleared her throat and spoke her mind.

"From my perspective, yes, she wronged you by hiding the truth from you and she most likely used you for your money but, the fact that she spilled the beans right now after two years might be because she cares about you and probably didn't want you and or her son to get hurt in the future because of her deception. I don't know about her, but if I were in her shoes and did what she did, the reason behind it would either be she's a gold digger, or someone talked her into this, or she and her son's wellbeing were threatened." She calmly stated.

"You should find out who the child's real father is." Fiona advised.

Pondering over her words Lorenzo suddenly remembered where he saw Fiona.

"No wonder you look familiar. Now I remember where I met you." He remarked.

"We've met before?"

"Yeah." He wore a smile like a badge of triumph.

"At one of those tour buses a few weeks ago."

"Ohhh...You're the guy...Enzo!" She laughed at the coincidence.

"Yes ma'am. The one and only." They laughed together as they reminisced the day they first met.